City Sightseeing Seattle: HOHO Bus Tour + Locks Cruise

The clever part of this Seattle tour is the combination of city transport and water travel. You can ride between major sights, get off when something catches your eye, then use the included 2-hour Locks Cruise for a very different view of the city.

I like the easy access to Pike Place Market, Pioneer Square, Chinatown, and the Space Needle, and I like that the ticket includes a walking tour rather than only a ride-by commentary. The main drawback is timing: the bus runs from 10am to 4pm, while the cruise leaves Pier 55 at 10:30am, so fitting everything into one day takes planning.

Key points to know

• The Locks Cruise leaves Pier 55 at 10:30am every day, and you receive separate cruise and bus tickets when you redeem your voucher.
• The bus runs every 30 minutes and takes about 80 minutes for a complete circuit without getting off.
• Pike Place Market, the waterfront, and Pioneer Square give you Seattle’s strongest mix of food, history, and city views.
• The 1.1-mile audio walking tour focuses on Pioneer Square and Seattle’s early days, using your smartphone to show images of the places discussed.
• A 48-hour ticket gives you more breathing room than the 24-hour option, especially if you want the cruise and several attractions.
• Entry fees are not included, so budget separately for the Space Needle, Sky View Observatory, museums, or other paid sights.

Why this bus and cruise pairing works in Seattle

Seattle is spread across several distinct areas, and hills, busy streets, and waterfront roads can make a day of walking tiring. The double-decker bus gives you a practical way to connect the central sights without treating every leg as a separate transport problem.

You can board at any listed stop, not only at a main terminal. That matters if you are already near Pike Place Market, the Seattle Central Library, Chinatown, or the Space Needle. Mobile and printed vouchers are accepted, and you can redeem them at any stop along the route.

The tour is best viewed as a flexible sightseeing framework, not a fully guided day trip. The English audio guide supplies background as you ride, while your own time at each stop determines how much Seattle you actually see. You decide if a market deserves 20 minutes or two hours.

The bus route has 17 named stops, including the Space Needle, cruise terminals, Pioneer Square, Chinatown, the library, Pike Place Market, and the Amazon Spheres. A summer Saturday notice also places Stop 18 in front of the Via 6 building at the west corner of 6th and Lenora, so check the stop arrangement if you are riding then.

Start with the 10:30am Locks Cruise

The cruise is the part that needs the most careful planning. It departs daily at 10:30am from Pier 55, near the waterfront stops for Argosy Cruises. Show your voucher at the stop, and staff provide separate tickets for the bus and cruise.

The cruise lasts two hours and runs one way. It gives you a break from city streets and adds a water-based view that the bus cannot provide. You see Seattle from a slower, more open setting, with the locks as the central feature of the trip.

Because the first bus leaves Stop 1 at 10am, you should not assume you can complete a full bus loop before boarding the boat. The bus circuit itself takes about 80 minutes, and the cruise departs only 30 minutes after the first bus. If the cruise is important to you, make it the fixed point of your day.

The practical choice is to head directly to Pier 55 for the cruise, then use the bus afterward. This sacrifices some early bus sightseeing, but it removes the risk of missing the boat. The last departure from Stop 1 is at 4pm, so do not leave all your bus riding until late afternoon.

Ride the waterfront from Piers 55 and 66

Seattle’s waterfront is one of the easiest parts of the route to enjoy in short pieces. Stops include Pier 55 and Argosy Cruises, Pier 66 Cruise Terminal, the Edgewater Hotel, and FRS Clippers. You can get off for views, ferry connections, waterfront walks, or a meal, though food and drinks are not included in the ticket.

The waterfront section is also useful for orientation. Seattle’s relationship with Puget Sound becomes clearer when you move along the piers instead of seeing the water only from one lookout. The bus helps you cover the distance between the cruise area and the rest of downtown.

The Great Wheel is one of the main nearby attractions, and the Space Needle is included elsewhere on the route. Neither ride admission is part of this package. If you want to go up the Great Wheel or enter the Space Needle, plan for a separate ticket and extra time.

Pier 55 appears twice in the stop list, at Stops 5 and 15, reflecting its importance as a waterfront boarding point. Use the exact stop information given when you redeem your voucher, especially if you are trying to connect the bus with the cruise.

Pike Place Market gives you Seattle at street level

Pike Place Market is one of the strongest stops for a first visit. The market brings together food stalls, shops, produce, and the famous market atmosphere in a compact area. You can ride there, get off, and explore on foot rather than trying to understand it from the upper deck.

The route also lists Pike Brewing Company, the Seattle Art Museum, and the Original Starbucks at Pike Place Market as separate stops. That gives you several ways to shape your visit around the same downtown area. You might use one stop for the market itself, another for the museum, and then continue by bus rather than retracing your steps.

The Original Starbucks stop is useful for people who want to see the early location connected with the brand. It may be a quick photo stop, while Pike Place Market deserves more unhurried time. Do not confuse a stop near an attraction with admission to it. The tour takes you close, but attraction tickets are your responsibility.

Pike Place is also a good place to pause for food, since meals are not included. That is not a weakness in this setting. You can choose what suits your budget and schedule instead of being tied to a group meal.

Pioneer Square connects the bus route with Seattle’s early days

Pioneer Square Historic District is where the included walking tour adds real value. The walk covers 1.1 miles and uses your smartphone as a guide. Images of the objects discussed appear on the screen, helping you connect the spoken information with what you are seeing.

This is a useful addition because Pioneer Square rewards slow looking. The bus can point out the district, but the walking tour lets you examine it at street level and follow a clear route. You learn about Seattle’s early days while moving through one of the city’s oldest districts.

Occidental Park and the Pioneer and Occidental Square stop give you a practical starting point. You can also reach the area from the Historic Chinatown Gate and Panama Hotel and Tea House stops. These are close enough in theme to combine if your legs and schedule allow, but the walking tour itself covers 1.1 miles, so allow time rather than treating it as a five-minute add-on.

The walking tour is self-guided, not a live tour with a named guide. You need a charged smartphone and a willingness to follow the instructions. The reward is freedom: you can pause, look around, and continue at your own speed.

Chinatown and the Panama Hotel add a different side of downtown

The Historic Chinatown Gate and Panama Hotel and Tea House stops broaden the route beyond the most familiar Seattle sights. They give you a chance to see a district with its own identity rather than spending the whole day around the waterfront and Pike Place.

These stops work well with Pioneer Square because they are part of the historic core of the city. You can use the bus to avoid a long walk between areas, then explore on foot once you get off. The route is especially helpful if you want to compare Seattle’s early commercial center with its later downtown attractions.

The information provided does not promise a guided visit inside the Panama Hotel or any Chinatown attraction. Think of these as access points. The bus gets you close, while you decide how much time to spend exploring.

Space Needle and Seattle Center are the headline stops

The Space Needle and Seattle Centre stop is likely to be a priority for first-time visitors. The Space Needle is one of Seattle’s defining sights, and the stop places it at the center of your route plan.

The bus ticket does not include Space Needle admission. That distinction matters at $109 per person. The tour covers transportation, the audio guide, the walking tour, and the cruise, but major attraction entry fees remain separate.

FRS Clippers is another stop in this part of the route. The Edgewater Hotel and Pier 66 then connect the northern downtown area with the waterfront. You can use the bus as a broad loop, or get off at Seattle Centre and later rejoin the route downtown.

The double-decker format can provide a better general view while moving between stops, though the point is not to replace the Space Needle’s own viewpoint. If you want the high-level city view, budget for that attraction separately.

Sky View Observatory and the Central Library fill out downtown

Seattle Sky View Observatory and the Seattle Central Library are useful stops for visitors who want more than the standard postcard sights. The observatory offers another paid viewpoint option, while the library gives you a distinctive downtown building to see from the inside or outside, depending on your plans.

The route also includes the Seattle Convention Centre. That makes the bus useful for linking the central business area with Pike Place, Pioneer Square, Chinatown, and the waterfront. You do not need to organize separate transport for every short hop.

Again, the ticket does not include entry to attractions. Use the bus to reach them, then check each site’s own admission and opening details before committing your day. The tour information gives the route and operating times, not a guarantee that every attraction will fit your preferred schedule.

Amazon Spheres offer a modern contrast

The Amazon Spheres stop adds a newer face of Seattle to a route otherwise filled with markets, historic districts, piers, and civic buildings. It is a useful contrast after visiting Pioneer Square and Chinatown.

The stop is also a reminder that the route is not only designed around old Seattle landmarks. You move between early downtown history, major public spaces, corporate architecture, and the waterfront. The bus makes that contrast easy to see in one day.

No entry to the Amazon Spheres is included, and the supplied details do not promise interior access. Treat the stop as a place to see the site and continue your route unless you have separately confirmed an admission arrangement.

How to use the 24-hour and 48-hour tickets

The 24-hour ticket can work if you focus on the cruise, one historic district, Pike Place Market, and a few major viewpoints. It becomes less comfortable if you want to enter several attractions, eat at leisure, and wait for buses without watching the clock.

At $109 per person, the value depends on how actively you use the package. A single ride around the 80-minute circuit would not justify the price for most people. The combination of repeated bus use, the 2-hour cruise, and the walking tour makes the cost easier to defend.

The 48-hour option is the better fit if you dislike rushing. You can use one day for the cruise, waterfront, and Pike Place, then spend the next day on Pioneer Square, Chinatown, the Space Needle, the library, and the Amazon Spheres. You also have more flexibility if a meal or attraction takes longer than expected.

The ticket is valid for either 24 or 48 hours, depending on the option selected. Vouchers can be used on any day within 12 months of the travel date selected at checkout, which adds useful flexibility if your plans change.

Bus timing, access, and small practical details

The first departure from Stop 1 is at 10am, the last is at 4pm, and buses arrive about every 30 minutes. The full tour takes around 80 minutes if you stay aboard. That frequency is workable, but it is not a turn-up-every-five-minutes city shuttle, so allow time at each stop.

You can board at any stop along the route. Both mobile and printed vouchers are accepted. There is no hotel pickup or drop-off, so you need to reach a stop on your own.

The bus and tour are wheelchair accessible. Pets and smoking are not allowed. The audio guide is in English, and the self-guided walking tour also relies on your smartphone.

Free cancellation is available up to 24 hours before the activity for a full refund, and the reserve-now, pay-later option lets you hold the booking without paying immediately. These terms are useful when your Seattle schedule is still moving, but they do not solve the fixed 10:30am cruise timing.

Who should book this Seattle tour?

I would recommend it to first-time visitors who want a broad introduction without arranging several separate transport legs. It also suits families, older visitors, and anyone who wants the option to sit between walking sections. The wheelchair accessibility is another practical advantage.

It is less suited to someone who prefers a slow, deeply guided visit at one site. The audio commentary is useful, but this is not a small-group tour with a live guide walking you through every landmark. You create the day yourself.

If you have only a few hours in Seattle, the package may be too ambitious. The cruise alone takes two hours, and the bus operates within a defined daytime window. If you have one full day, start with the cruise, then choose Pike Place or Pioneer Square rather than trying to enter every attraction.

Should you book the City Sightseeing Seattle package?

Book it if you want the Locks Cruise and flexible city transport in one purchase, and if you plan to make several stops. The 48-hour version gives the best chance of getting fair value from the $109 price, especially when you add the Pioneer Square walking tour.

Choose another plan if you mainly want a single attraction, need hotel pickup, or prefer a live guide. For most first visits, though, this is a practical way to connect Seattle’s waterfront, market, historic districts, viewpoints, and newer downtown areas without spending the day figuring out every connection.

FAQ

How long does the Seattle bus tour take?

The full bus tour takes about 80 minutes without getting off.

How often does the hop-on hop-off bus run?

Buses run approximately every 30 minutes.

What time does the first bus leave?

The first departure from Stop 1 is at 10am.

What time is the last departure from Stop 1?

The last departure from Stop 1 is at 4pm.

Where does the Locks Cruise depart?

The Locks Cruise departs from Pier 55 every day at 10:30am.

Is the Locks Cruise included in the ticket?

Yes. The ticket includes a 2-hour one-way Locks Cruise. When you show your voucher at the stop, you receive separate tickets for the bus and cruise.

Is the tour wheelchair accessible?

Yes, the tour is wheelchair accessible.